Our Community Priorities

As the community foundation serving all of Eastern Connecticut, we welcome and work with generous people who want to give back, support effective solutions to pressing community challenges and promote the well-being of our region.

We fund a wide range of initiatives and projects that connect people who care - our donors - with the nonprofits, schools, libraries and other organizations that change people's lives for the better throughout our region.

Helping You Have Meaningful Impact

In July 2015, we completed an 18-month-long strategic planning process through which our Board and staff sought input from our nonprofit partners, community knowledge experts, community leaders, residents and donors on how together, we could be a stronger, more purposeful "force for good" in the community. We also looked at our past successes and conferred with our peer community foundations on what's working in other communities.

With that input and building upon our strengths, the Community Foundation's 2015-2018 Strategic Plan affirms our commitment to working with donors to put their philanthropy into action, with a particular focus on four priority areas - four pillars that will guide our relationship building, grantmaking and capacity building efforts.

These pillars give us all the opportunity to unite to empower young people, promote basic needs and rights, preserve the environment and advance animals and wildlife.

Empower Youth

We strive to ensure that our youth live in a safe and supportive environment, and have access to high quality, emotionally, intellectually, culturally and environmentally rich learning opportunities. Priority given to programs that:

Enhance quality early childhood education and intervention services

Support mentoring programs that encourage relationships between youth and caring adults

Support access to programs that promote mental and physical health as well as those that address disconnected youth

Enhance educational opportunities in science, literacy, arts and culture, especially those that use experiential learning

Support post-secondary education access and job readiness

Promote Basic Needs & Rights

We strive to ensure that the region’s residents have access to social and health services, healthy nutrition, stable housing, job training and education, and arts and culture. Priority given to programs that:

Promote individual and family economic security

Increase food security and access to nutritious food

Decrease homelessness through programs that promote diversion and intervention

Improve access to healthcare and human services

Promote healthy relationships and address domestic violence

Utilize arts and culture experiences to educate and improve overall quality of life

Preserve the Environment

We strive to foster an understanding of and promote action on the relationship between the health of the natural world and the health and well-being of our residents. Priority given to programs that (we will choose specific goals and indicators with funding partners):

Preserve and protect environmentally significant land, waterways and wildlife habitats for the benefit of the ecosystem and for the well-being, health, livelihood and enjoyment of residents

Engage youth in environmental education and activities in natural settings as they learn to become good stewards of their environment

Make the connection between mental and physical health and exposure to the natural world

Advance Animal Welfare

Ensure adequate protection, care and humane treatment of animals and wildlife. Priority given to programs that: